Just over a dozen Toronto restaurants have been bestowed with prestigious Michelin stars—making them the first Canadian eateries to receive the global recognition.
At a special presentation held at Evergreen Brick Works Tuesday night, Michelin’s international director Gwendal Poullenec revealed that 13 restaurants would be featured in the guide.
Inspectors have been anonymously populating culinary establishments across the city as of May, judging restaurants using a secret methodology that the organization describes as a “unique” and “demanding” evaluation.
Restaurants are then assigned one, two or three stars based on their exceptional cuisine.
Here is a list of the restaurants that received one Michelin star:
Aburi Hana (102 Yorkville Ave)
Alo (163 Spadina Ave)
Alobar Yorkville (162 Cumberland St)
Don Alfonso 1890 (1 Harbour Square)
Edulis (169 Niagara St)
Enigma Yorkville (23 St Thomas St)
Frilu (7713 Yonge St)
Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto (6 Garamond Ct)
Osteria Giulia (134 Avenue Rd)
Quetzal (419 College St)
Shoushin (3328 Yonge St)
Yukashi (643a Mt Pleasant Rd)
Just one Toronto restaurant received two Michelin stars—Sushi Masaki Saito on Avenue Road.
“I love Toronto. I love Canada,” Chef Masaki Saito told a crowd as he accepted the stars.
It’s rare to receive a three-star honour. Of the more than 16,000 restaurants in the Michelin guide, just 137 have been awarded this recognition.
Three-star honours are relatively rare on the global list -- out of 16,120 restaurants, just 137 achieved the highest standard.
In total, 74 restaurants received recognition on Tuesday, representing 27 different cuisine styles. This included 17 restaurants that received the Bib Gourmand designation, which recognizes establishment with quality food where you can get two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for less than $60.
Among those who were highlighted are Enoteca Sociale, Fat Pasha, Bar Raval and Chica’s Chicken.
Speaking before the awards were handed out, Toronto Mayor John Tory made sure to emphasize that being included in the Michelin guide was “a big deal.”
“It's a big deal because it is going to put Toronto one more time, in one more way, on the map just like TIFF does,” he told the crowd. “And I think that's important for the well being of the industry suffered so much during the pandemic, but I think it's also important for the well being and the growth and the success and the reputation of the city.”
These 13 Toronto restaurants are the first in Canada to be included in the Michelin guide, but the company plans on including Vancouver in the months to come.
With files from the Canadian Press
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